Sunday, April 27, 2008

Raison d'être : Metamorphyses [2006] FREE DOWNLOAD

"Raison d'Etre. Everyone that knows about the dark ambient genre's existence knows this band. Some say it's the best band in the genre, some say it's too ethereal to be good, but the truth is that Raison d'Etre has been releasing outstanding records for years now. Not only outstanding, but genre-defining.

Metamorphyses is — don't say you didn't expect it — amazing as well. It does, however, show an even deeper change when compared to the old stuff. Instead of the church-sounding ambient of the early releases, here we have a far more drone-based, if not industral, ambient soundscape. Rhythm isn't as important now, opting instead for textures and atmosphere while still retaining coherency.

The album is divided into six long parts for a total of 55 minutes. Another difference related to this is that the album flows like if it were just one long track, evolving and changing, and not like six thematically different songs.

The various degrees of the build-up of tension throughout the six tracks play a major role in the album. The music usually starts calm and quiet, and logically turns loud and noisy, only to turn calm again, like a constant cycle. While predictable, this formula proves itself to be effective when combined with Raison d'Etre's new sound. It is, in a way, similar to the way post-rock works: you need to listen to the complete thing to really know what's going on.

Another main difference is the not so constant usage of samples. Samples were used, that's obvious, but now feedback and machine-like sounds are central, leaving sampling as just a secondary process. This, coupled with the minor role rhythm plays in Metamorphyses, makes the album more of a (non-metal) drone one than a dark ambient one. However, fans of both will enjoy the album as it fits both genres.

Atmospherically, Metamorphyses is less rigid than most ambient, relying in pure ambience and not in assaulting the listener with two thousand ideas at the same time. Yes, you could say it's aesthetically simpler than the old Raison d’Etre albums, but it's certainly better this way.

Raison d'Etre still represents what's happening to the whole dark ambient genre: turning less rhythmic and more avant-garde. From the outside, it looks like it's turning like a modern, synthetic, musique concrete, without the whole tape processing. Its overall quality isn't dropping, nor is Raison d'Etre's. (8.9/10) "